Thoughts On The Worker Bee

John 9:4 – I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. (KJV)

An aeronautical engineer would tell us that, on account of its design, a bee should not be able to fly —- but it does. The honeybee is the only member of numerous bee species which produces that sweet treat that Pooh Bear so desires. The honeybee is remarkable not only for the production of a confection but also for its organization and industry.

Every member of a honeybee colony has one main purpose: the preservation, protection, and propagation of the colony. The queen, worker, and drone each play a significant role. Co-operation is the key discipline. The worker bee, the most numerous and busiest, has the shortest life span — just a few weeks. The queen, whose main job is the production of eggs, can live many months, even years, and rests from her labours only during cold weather. The drone's sacrificial job is the insemination of the queen. It is pampered to the point that the workers help it out of its birth cell.

Each worker must participate in every type of activity — caring for and attending to the queen, caring for the larvae, wax making for cell construction, protecting the hive entrance from marauders, and, above all, collecting and storing nectar and pollen. The worker even has to learn the dance in front of the hive that directs other workers to new sources of nectar.

Members of the Christian church also have one goal: the preservation, protection, and perpetuation of Christianity. What the honeybee accomplishes through instinct, Christians must accomplish through faithfully carrying out Christ's word. Perhaps, like the bee, by design, the church shouldn't be able to "fly", but it has survived and grown strong over two thousand years. Like the honeybee, the church has its enemies. In defending the colony the worker bee gives her life. Many Christian martyrs have given the last measure of devotion to perpetuate their belief. In both cases it is the total commitment to the goal that makes possible the health and safely of the colony.

Christian believers need to nurture the youth, to co-operate in maintaining fellowship and worship, to share the good news that is the "old, old story", and, through prayer and praise, to maintain a strong "front line" against the enemy.

James 2:17 – In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (NIV)

Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, help us to work together like busy bees to carry out Your great commission and to rejoice in the fellowship of Christians praying and praising You at all times. Amen.

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